Float Pier 5

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Charlestown · Pier 5 · A New Vision

Float
Pier 5

Let's make America's first floating urban beach.

See the Vision Join the Movement
4
Acres of Pier & Watersheet
33,280
sq ft of Floating Structure
1st
Floating Urban Beach in the U.S.
Year
Round
Public Recreation

The Vision

The Harbor Has Been Waiting

Boston spent $4 billion cleaning its harbor. Now it's time to actually live in it. We can tear down a deteriorated, fenced-off pier and build something extraordinary in its place: a floating island of public life. Swimming, paddling, saunas, community, sun. Open to everyone. All year long.

This is not a renovation. This is a civic reinvention.

Float Pier 5 Aerial Rendering
Pier 5 is a rare opportunity: a blank slate at the confluence of three waterways, in one of America's great harbor cities. We're building the future of urban waterfront life.
Concept Design
Balance Architects
The harbor is clean.
The pier is empty.
The moment is now.

Where

Pier 5, Boston Harbor

At the confluence of the Charles and Mystic Rivers and the Boston Inner Harbor in Charlestown. The most connected waterfront site in the city. Today: a condemned, underused pier. Tomorrow: something the city has never seen.

Boston Harbor site context map
Site Context: Charlestown, Boston Harbor
Pier 5 current state
Pier 5: Current State
Site plan for Float Pier 5
The Vision: Site Plan
Concept Design
Balance Architects
Swimming, Diving and Tiered Seating - Float Pier 5
Swimming, Diving and Tiered Seating
Concept Design
Balance Architects
Communal Sauna - Float Pier 5
Communal Sauna
Concept Design
Balance Architects
Coffee Pastry Boat - Float Pier 5
Coffee Pastry Boat
Concept Design
Balance Architects
Kayaking - Float Pier 5
Kayaks + Pedal Boats
Concept Design
Balance Architects
Fishing - Float Pier 5
Fishing
Concept Design
Balance Architects
Public Art - Float Pier 5
Public Art
Concept Design
Balance Architects

What We're Building

A Full Life
on the Water

🏊

Swim Basin

A protected 7,270 sq ft floating swim area. Open harbor water, safely enclosed and beautifully designed.

🧖

Sauna & Wellness

Nordic-inspired sauna and wellness facilities, inspired by the great floating saunas of Scandinavia.

🚣

Water Recreation

Kayaking, sailing, paddleboard yoga. A full palette of family-friendly water activity.

🎣

Fishing

Cast a line from the floating pier and enjoy Boston Harbor's thriving recreational fishery, right in the heart of the city.

☀️

Public Gathering

Acres of open community space. Tiered seating. Shaded decks. A civic living room on the water.

🌱

Outdoor Classroom

Environmental education and harbor stewardship, built into the very structure of the space.

⚡

Climate Resilient

Floating. Designed for sea level rise. A model for the future of urban waterfront infrastructure.

🍦

Family-Friendly Concessions

Waterfront food and refreshments designed for all ages, fueling a full day on the water.

🎨

Public Art

An installation right in the water that interacts with the tides — art that lives and breathes with the harbor.

🏋️

Fitness Classes

Yoga, bootcamp, and group fitness on the water — open-air classes with the best backdrop in Boston.

Inspired By

Cities That Led
The Way

Boston won't be the first city to reimagine its waterfront. We've studied the best in the world.

Copenhagen Harbor Bath
Copenhagen Harbor Bath
Model for Urban Swimming
St. Kilda Pier, Melbourne
St. Kilda Pier, Melbourne
Sun Decks & Water Access
Floating Sauna, Tromsø
Floating Sauna, Tromsø
Winter Wellness Precedent
Floating Sauna, Oslo
Floating Sauna, Oslo
Sauna on the Harbor
Paddleboard Yoga
Laguna Beach, CA
Paddleboard Yoga
Hudson River, NYC
Hudson River, NYC
Waterfront Yoga Festival
Copenhagen, Denmark
Copenhagen, Denmark
Floating Sauna at Glaecier
Karanga Plaza, Auckland
Karanga Plaza, Auckland
Harbor Pool, Free to the Public

The Site

Pier 5 Today

Acres of neglected concrete jutting into one of the most spectacular harbors in America. Condemned. Fenced off. Invisible. This is what we're transforming, and this is why the opportunity is so extraordinary.

Aerial view of Pier 5, Boston
Pier 5 · Boston Harbor

The Moment

A Better
Plan

The City of Boston has tentatively designated a local non-profit, in partnership with a large global arena operator, to redevelop Pier 5 into a 60,000 square foot private event space for weddings and corporate functions — at a cost of $150 million. The pier itself would need to be entirely rebuilt, an undertaking that is both environmentally costly and fiscally ambitious. Meanwhile, Boston's young residents are leaving for cities that offer vibrant, accessible public waterfronts. Float Pier 5 gives them a reason to stay.

Float Pier 5 is the alternative.

A floating public amenity requiring no pier reconstruction, privately funded by civic-minded donors, fiscally realistic, and built for every Bostonian. Not just ticket holders.

Rendering of the competing Pier 5 development proposal
Current Designated Plan for Pier 5

Why Now

Boston Has
Earned This

Boston was developed as a working harbor. And most Bostonians have never once dipped a toe in it.

The harbor cleanup was one of the great environmental success stories in American history. But access to that clean water has lagged behind. Float Pier 5 changes that. For every neighborhood, every income, every age.

Cities like Copenhagen, Sydney, and Oslo have shown the world what a truly public waterfront looks like. It's Boston's turn.

A city known for pushing the boundaries of science, medicine, and technology deserves recreation that matches its ambition.

Float Pier 5 Rendering
Concept Design
Balance Architects

Get Involved

Be Part of This

Whether you want to join the team, support the project, or just follow along, we want to hear from you.

✓ You're in. We'll be in touch soon.